Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona) has been through hell. In season 1 of Andor, she was betrayed by her boyfriend, then watched officers from the Imperial Security Bureau kill him before her eyes. She was captured by the ISB and forced to listen to the dying screams of alien children as part of an “interrogation” method. But in season 2 of the acclaimed Disney+ series, she endures yet another harrowing ordeal.
One year after the riot in Ferrix, Bix, Wilmon Paak (Muhannad Bhaier), Brasso (Joplin Sibtain), and the droid B2EMO (Dave Chapman) are hiding on the remote agricultural planet Mina-Rau. She still has nightmares from her imprisonment, but despite her trauma, she manages to live a quiet life fixing irrigation systems for her fellow farmers.
That is, until they learn of an Imperial audit that could expose them as undocumented fugitives living on Mina-Rau without visas. Bix becomes the target of Imperial Lieutenant Krole (Alex Waldmann), who flirts with her even after she lies and says she’s married.
In Episode 3, “Harvest,” Krole confronts Bix at her home and reveals he knows she’s undocumented. He offers to overlook her “illegal” status in exchange for sex. When Bix refuses, he pushes her up against a wall and attempts to rape her. In a brutal fight, she fends Krole off and kills him by bludgeoning him with a wrench. And to make sure everyone understands what just transpired, when confronted by another officer, Bix screams, “He tried to rape me.”
While Star Wars has alluded to instances of sexual assault over the decades (Leia’s slave outfit is an infamous example), this scene marks the first explicit depiction of an attempted assault in the franchise. The decision has sparked controversy among fans. Some argue that the scene is inappropriate and out of place in the science-fantasy universe Star Wars has created.
However, series creator Tony Gilroy defended the scene in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, explaining that it didn’t feel right to tell a story about war and oppression while avoiding any reference to sexual assault:
“It just was organic and it felt right, coming about as a power trip for this guy. I was really trying to make a path for Bix that would ultimately lead to clarity — but a difficult path to get back to clarity.”
In a separate interview with Entertainment Weekly, Adria Arjona described filming Season 2 as going through “the acting Olympics.” She worked closely with director Ariel Kleiman and the stunt team to ensure the scene was handled with care and respect. Arjona also drew inspiration from real-life survivor stories to inform her performance.
The attempted assault adds another layer to Bix’s trauma, following her torture by the Empire in Season 1. Her journey is a testament to the strength required to confront it. Her story is not just one of victimhood but of active resistance—challenging the Empire’s dehumanizing tactics and asserting her autonomy. In doing so, Andor expands the Star Wars universe, introducing narratives that resonate with real-world struggles and triumphs.
New episodes of Andor drop every Tuesday on Disney+.
